Playing Cards

It's always fun to play cards, but it is even more fun to play cards with Disney Villain cards.

My mom and I like to play Crazy 8s!

Taking Care of the Fairy Garden

One of the most exciting parts of Katie's Fairy Garden was when the seeds started sprouting. She loves taking care of it.

I keep my fairy garden under the table so it gets some sun and some shade. 

My little sprouts seem so happy!

Back to Walking

As things got busy at the end of the school year, we went on fewer walks. When school ended, the walks picked up.

Walking always makes me feel better!

Last Day of Third Grade

Before we left the school, we took a couple of pictures of Katie to reflect her last day as a third grader. What a year!

We were trying to stay away from people for our pictures, so we got them in some strange places. 

I can't believe I'm out of third grade!

A Picture with a Friend

After the celebration at school, Katie asked if she could get a picture with one of the teachers that she just loves. Katie is so sad that this teacher is moving to a different school next year.

It's always weird to try to get a picture with someone as we are trying to stay apart, but I'm glad I have this picture.

In Charge

As we got ready to congratulate the 5th graders at our school, Katie got a job from our counselor. She was put in charge of the bubble machine, and she was so happy to have a special responsibility.

There weren't a lot of kids with the teachers, so I was happy to have a job!

Seeing a Friend

Katie has been so lonely for other people during this time. On the last day of school, the staff at my school spread ourselves out along the sidewalk to congratulate the fifth graders who were moving onto middle school as they drove by in cars. Katie came along with me and was so happy when my co-worker brought her baby with her.

This is my second friend named Kai! I got my picture with him standing apart to be safe. Then it was time for my mask!

One Last Card

At the end of the school year, Katie got one last card from one of her pen pals during the school closure. She loved staying in contact that closely with one of the teachers.

Thank you for my card and the surprise gift card inside! I loved being your pen pal!

An End-of-Year Gift

During the last week of school, Katie's teacher made arrangements to get gifts to all of the students. She was so thoughtful and generous!

Mr. Limpet was just as interested as I was to see what was inside my bag! 

I loved the giraffe inside! We had a big giraffe in our classroom too! 

My teacher also drew a giraffe for each of us and found a poem about being yourself and standing tall. 

 Thank you so much for my gift! I love it, and it will always make me think of third grade!

A Thoughtful Gift

Katie has dealt with this quarantine period with a pretty good attitude, but just like all of us, some days are harder than others. After a couple of hard days, she got a surprise in the mail from a friend who wanted to add some cheer to Katie's last days of school.

I was pretty excited to get a fairy garden in the mail! 

The first thing I had to do was to add water to the soil pods. 

Then I started adding some of the decorations. 

The soil pods grew and grew! 

When the soil was most, it went into the garden along with the rest of the decorations. 

It was fun to do something different. 

In the end, I carefully sprinkled the seeds into the garden. 

Thank you so much for my garden! 

An Accidental Abandonment

We had gone over to my sister's house for the day, and when it was time to go to bed that night, Katie realized she had accidentally left her polar bear at Jennifer's house. Luckily, Jennifer took good care of it until she could return it to Katie the next day.

Aunt Jennifer found my polar bear not long after I left her house.

She let him play the Nintendo Switch with her,... 

...gave him a comfortable spot to sleep, and... 

...did his hair in the morning.

Staying Close

There's always one cat or the other who is right next to Katie when she is trying to work.

Mr. Limpet loves the warmth of being by my computer!

A Gift

Katie was so excited to get a surprise gift in the mail from her friend. Her friend had the same thing at home, and they have plans to do some virtual crafting together.

We are going to design some Shrinky Dinks together!

Continuing the Fun

After coloring my mom's fingernails with markers, Katie decided to color her own nails.

I had a lot of colors to choose from. 

I chose to color my nails orange to match my dress!

Coloring Grandma's Nails

Katie had her markers out and decided that it would be perfect to color my mom's fingernails.

I decided to color her nails green because she had just said to me, "Color me jealous."

Trying to Work

Sometimes the cats get in the way of Katie's work, but Katie tries to persevere!

 I love General Washington, but...

 ...sometimes he makes work hard,...

...especially when I have to see my computer screen for directions!

Writing

I hope Katie never loses her love of writing!

Writing is full of possibilities!

First Amazon Order

On Gotcha Day, Katie had received some Amazon gift cards from Garyldine, Jim, and Aunt Jody. She was so excited to go shopping on Amazon all by herself, and she was even happier when her first package arrived.

I chose a little polar bear with a cute scarf!

Sketching

One night when Katie was missing Disneyland, she decided to sketch Mickey Mouse.

It made me feel a little more connected to Mickey Mouse when I drew him!

Just for Jennifer

At Christmas, my sister gave Katie a specially made shirt. Jennifer had noticed that a lot of Katie's sentences started with, "Yeah, but...." She decided to create a shirt to match.

I've decided that Aunt Jennifer needs a shirt like this, too! She says this a lot too!

Time with the General

Katie loves all of her time with the cats.

One of the best parts of being home more is spending more time with the cats!

Walking on a Hot Day

Whenever we go on a walk on a hot day, Katie loves the patches of shade!

When it's hot, I usually run from shade patch to shade patch and then stay there until I have to move!

Keeping the Cats Comfortable

Every day, Katie does something to try to make the cats feel happy. One of her favorite things to do is to make them feel comfortable.

Mr. Limpet and General Washington love each other, so they can easily share a blanket!

Helping with Dinner

Katie likes to help prepare dinner when she has the opportunity. She was so excited to help prepare her favorite fettuccine meal!

I got to help cut the tomatoes in half. Even though it was fun to help, I was so happy when my mom said I could eat some of the tomatoes while I waited for dinner.

Schoolwork on a Cold Day

When the house is cold, you've got to find a comfortable way to do school work and stay warm.

I made sure that I was warm and the cats were warm!

Crazy Hat Day

Katie was going to have a Zoom meeting with her class, and they were having a "Crazy Hat Day." Since she remembered last minute, we scrambled to find a hat quickly. I tried to convince her to wear a Barbie hat, but she chose one of her Disney hats instead.

My mom and I thought this Barbie hat was a funny hat, but I was too embarrassed to wear it in front of my class.

Having Fun with Letters

After Katie read her letter from her pen pal, she spent some time with the stickers that she was given.

I recognized right away that the letters I was given spelled my name, but... 

...I wanted to see what else I could spell with them. 

It's fun to play with letters. 

Thank you for my stickers!

A New Letter

Before Katie went to bed, she decided to open her new letter from her pen pal. Those are her favorite moments!

In addition to the letter, my pen pal sent me some letter stickers that spelled my name!

Becoming a Pony

When Katie got a Happy Meal at McDonald's, she got a My Little Pony mask.

How do I look?